We’ve been working with families for nearly 30 years to keep children out of orphanages, and safe at home, close to the people who love them. So it was an easy decision to partner with ergobaby, the baby carrier experts who share our intimate understanding of the essential role of family in providing the love and care all children need.

Every baby deserves to experience those precious moments of connection with their mum and dad. It’s what makes them feel safe and loved.

For small children this is even more important – for every 3 months spent in an orphanage, children lose on average 1 month’s growth. 

D.E.Johnson,‘Medical and Developmental Sequelae of Early Childhood Institutionalization in Eastern European Adoptees’, in The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology. Vol 31: The Effects of Early Adversity on Neurobehavioral Development, ed. by Nelson (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2001).

That’s why our teams support thousands of parents every year to give their children the best start in life, by keeping them close.

And to celebrate the start of our partnership, ergobaby delivered free Airmesh carriers from their new range to Moldovan families supported by our programmes. The carriers are supporting mothers with the smallest of babies, helping families bond, stay close and together:

All families were delighted to receive these carriers, and shared their stories with our programme partners CCF Moldova. Names have been changed.

In addition, ergobaby’s vital support will help us raise awareness amongst up to 100,000 parents and carers, of the harm done by orphanages and the importance of supporting children and parents to make this connection.

We’re excited to invite the ergobaby community of new parents and grandparents to join our movement to consign orphanages to history.

“We are really delighted to introduce our partnership with Hope and Homes for Children, a global expert in the field of deinstitutionalisation.

Our partnership will help Hope and Homes for Children to raise awareness of the harm caused by orphanages and the emphasis of supporting children and parents into loving and stable families whilst understanding the origin of family breakdown.“

Holly Brewer, Marketing Manager ergobaby UK

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In June 2022, Jonathan Sparrow and his Dad cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He raised £10,100 to help us keep children out of institutions and in loving families, where they belong. Here, he tells us all about the amazing odyssey.

What an epic adventure that was! One of the best experiences of my life, and for such a brilliant cause! We both felt completely detached from reality, you become absorbed in the routine of it all. Eat, ride, eat, sleep, repeat.

The route was designed to be scenic rather than direct. As a result, it was challenging, physically and mentally, with morale generally in-line with the weather forecast! We had all four seasons during the trip, as well as a headwind for roughly 8 days. This made it all more rewarding on day 10 when against the odds the sun was shining, and we had a strong tailwind carrying us to the finish in John O’Groats.

The highlights of the trip for me, aside from undertaking the challenge with my Dad, were the harder hillier days as these are generally the days with a view! Day 2 over Dartmoor was stunning, with constant rolling hills and rapid descents. Day 3 we crossed the Mendips and entered Wales along the beautiful Wye Valley. Day 5 we travelled through the Forest of Bowland and into the Lake District, this was by far the toughest in my opinion. Not a single flat road and some really challenging, long climbs. Before we knew it, we were in Scotland, literally on day 6 we crossed the border at Gretna Green and made our way up to Moffat. Day 8, through The Cairngorms, was ‘The Queen Stage’ and featured some monster climbs. Two of which were up past Scottish ski resorts at around 700m (2300feet). The day ended with the beginning of the highlands, breath-taking views in all directions. The final day was forecast to be wet and miserable with the beginnings of a storm on the coast, cross / tailwinds of 40mph predicted. The day started as expected, but before­ we got too wet the sun broke through. Seeing the sunlit sea come into view on the northern coast was an incredible moment. The final 50km flew past with a combination of adrenaline and tailwinds, we were soon drinking a toast to our achievement in John O’Groats.

It was my absolutely pleasure to take on this challenge on behalf of Hope and Homes for Children. I am so proud to be able to complete this challenge for such a worthy cause! We cycled a total of 1,580km (982mile) over the 10 days, and climbed a monstrous 18,800m (62,000feet)., I still cannot quite believe the amount of money raised!

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At Hope and Homes for Children, we pride ourselves on the partnerships we’ve built. One of our longest-standing partnerships has been with Riviera Travel.  

This year, we celebrate the 25^th anniversary of this remarkable relationship. Since our earliest days, Riviera Travel have been by our side, raising over £1 million during the course of our partnership. Even during difficult times – when Covid 19 threatened their business – they never abandoned our relationship. Their generosity has enabled us to support countless vulnerable children and families around the world – and to continue fighting for every child to grow up with the love and support they need. 

On behalf of all the children we are working with, thank you so very much. 

Support Hope and Homes for Children… by going on holiday!

Book your holiday with Riviera Travel, and you’ll also be helping us to end the cruel institutionalisation of children.

Just quote “Hope and Homes for Children” when booking your holiday or ordering your brochure from Riviera Travel, and 10% of the total cost of your holiday will be given to Hope and Homes for Children. For every passenger that travels, Riviera Travel will also donate £1.

Visit the Riviera Travel website

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When the first reports of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came on the news, like many of you, I was glued in disbelief to my TV. My first thought was for my Ukrainian colleagues – were they safe? And how long would that last?

I thought about what could happen to the children in Ukraine’s orphanages. Already vulnerable and frightened being confined in these orphanages, but now with the uncertainly and fear of war raging around them, what was life going to be like for them? Like so many of you, I felt powerless. 

Very quickly the whole team at Hope and Homes for Children galvanised around our Ukrainian colleagues, as well as those in Romania and Moldova who have been supporting the wave of refugees fleeing the conflict. We knew we had to get the message out there about our work and ask our incredible family of supporters for their help. 

And you responded, turning that feeling of powerlessness into action.

I’ve worked at Hope and Homes for Children as a fundraiser for nearly 8 years and I’ve always known and appreciated how dedicated and passionate our supporters are, but in this moment of greatest need, I’ve been blown away by the generosity and compassion of so many – some already aware of our work, and others just discovering what we do for the first time. 

And so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, and shine a light on just some of the incredible fundraising events and activities that have taken place over the last 6 weeks. We can’t thank everyone – although I did consider writing a very long list and posting just that! – but I hope you’ll enjoy reading about some of these efforts just as much as I did hearing about them as they were being planned and executed. 

Our emergency response in Ukraine continues and your support is going to be vital for the future in the aftermath of this conflict, just as much as it is right now. From everyone at Hope and Homes for Children, thank you so much. 

The incredible students at St Catherine’s School are walking, running and cycling their way virtually from Guildford to Kviv – a staggering 2,458km! – to fundraise for our Ukraine Appeal. You can check on their progress here.

Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs up and down the country have been generosity fundraising and donating to our Ukraine Appeal, and to name just a few – the Rotary clubs of Ascot, Uxbridge, Rayleigh Mill, Salisbury, Long Eaton and Frome Selwood; Inner Wheel clubs of Margate, Maccesfield Castle and Basildon. 

You’ve also been fundraising online too. Justine from The White Art Studio sold 2 paintings and donated £400. Claire from @backmystitchup_design and Leonie from @leoniejaynedesigns sold bespoke designs on Instagram raising £1,000. 

There are so many incredible supporters who have put time and energy into supporting our Ukraine Appeal – thank you to every single one of you. 

If you’ve been inspired to fundraise, let us know! Maybe you’re crafty and can sell some of your creations. Or perhaps you want to take on a challenge – why not join us on our upcoming Stonehenge Adventure walk?

There are so many ways you can support us right now, so click here to be inspired with more ideas. 

The post A heartfelt thank you note appeared first on Hope and Homes for Children.

This exclusive, fast-paced event saw the country’s leading Peers and Journalists go head-to-head in a gladiatorial contest with a twist; for one day only, it’s the journalists taking to the hot seat!  Set in the stunning surroundings of The National Liberal Club, Whitehall, it was wonderful to welcome over 100 guests to enjoy our sensational panel in action. Presiding over the festivities was the indomitable Anne Robinson, who brought her razor-sharp wit and legendary no-nonsense precision to the fore to keep our panellists in order. 

We were delighted to welcome back Sky News Broadcaster and former Swapping Seats host, Kay Burley, as a panellist. With her vast experience, Kay wielded lightning-fast (and often hilarious!) responses while verbally duelling with Baroness Neville-Rolfe, a Conservative Peer and decorated business woman.  With Anne presiding as Chair, this sparky encounter was interwoven with stories from Kay and Anne of their early years in the newsroom and how each of the panel blazed the trail for women through the previously male-dominated political and journalistic scene.  

Anne then turned her attention to James Mates, the Europe Editor of ITV News and a permanent fixture on our screens since the Brexit referendum. Having known each other for many years, Anne’s grilling of James was lively and spirited.  An enthralling conversation, with Anne reminding James that she knows his father well, in order to keep him in line!  

The seats were swapped  once again, as the full panel returned to the stage to be quizzed by our guests on topics including; the future of American politics, the direct correlation between a full head of hair and a spell as Prime Minister, the role of social media in journalism and the UK government’s position on Overseas Aid.  

After an exciting afternoon, Hope and Homes for Children CEO, Mark Waddington rounded off proceedings, thanking our sensational panel, dedicated committee members and generous sponsors.  

Swapping Seats has raised a significant amount since its inception and we are delighted to bring this hugely successful fundraiser to life in 2021, bringing our supporters together to drive impact globally. Our guests’ support is so appreciated at this critical time; as the pandemic continues to cause a huge crisis for the children and families we work with around the world.  

Thanks to the enormous generosity of our guests, Hope and Homes for Children are able to continue investing in our devoted Frontline Workers globally as the need for their support grows. We will continue our work to prevent vulnerable children from being placed in orphanages and build new families for those who’ve lost parents and carers, working to ensure that no child has to suffer institutional ‘care’ but can grow up at home; where they belong. 

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